


From the Stars

by marmolady



Series: Vaanu Ending [1]
Category: Endless Summer (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-20
Updated: 2019-10-26
Packaged: 2020-10-24 14:02:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 20,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20707202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marmolady/pseuds/marmolady
Summary: (Vaanu Ending) Five years have passed since the events that saw Taylor hurtled to another world in a heartfelt sacrifice for her friends; healing time and reuniting them with their families. But how much moving on has been done, and how long can Taylor carry on so far from home?





	1. Forever is a Long and Lonely Time

A land of crystalline beauty, of hauntingly looming cliffs, of blue flames that danced across the plain with no concern for any earth-born assumptions of how fire could or should dance; it might have been the most sublimely dazzling landscape in the entirety of the universe, but to Taylor, her world spoke only of echoing loneliness. For some five years, her spirit had been carried along by its host through this crystal world; and entity joined and yet separate. Borne of Vaanu after the alien entity had crashed to earth, creating a festering wound in time, Taylor remained a creature of two worlds. Her physical body had been lost, but a bright, courageous and utterly compassionate consciousness remained. Those thoughts, memories of the brief, shining life as a human that she’d once known, were hers alone, a reminder of who she truly was. She saw the face of her partner, the woman she’d taken to be her wife; naively imagining that they might share a future, grow old side-by-side. Taylor hadn’t known that night was to be the last she’d ever spend in Estela’s arms.

Those memories came to her with ease and total clarity. It was just as well, for those few, precious weeks, along with the memories gifted to her by the Endless, were all there’d be to sustain Taylor for what could be an eternity. She could hide away in the comfort of a reality she’d once known, nurtured by the faces and voices of her loved ones, and knowing that she’d given them the greatest of gifts. The thought of her friends living their lives, free to be the incredible people she knew they were, it almost made her existence bearable. She could never regret the sacrifice she’d made for them; after all they’d given her, she’d give herself in her entirety without a shadow of a doubt. For so long, Taylor had forced the loneliness down whenever it reared up, threatening to drag her down into the depths of despair. Resolutely, she’d told herself that she could not be alone. Her friends were thinking of her, loving her, with every day; she knew it. She wanted it to be enough. It _had _to be enough… for there was nothing else. But the humanness of her could not be unwritten. Taylor felt the passing of time in a way Vaanu could not understand; she withered as the months and years without human touch took its terrible toll on her very spirit. Her vague physical form, shared with the being that brought her to life, lacked the capacity to cry; there was no offloading of the lonesome ache that at times felt to consume the entirety of her being.

“_We are one now. One and the same,” _Vaanu would reassure. The alien entity had a grasp of love; it had been that which had enabled them to create Taylor around the silent pleas of a friendless and forlorn young man. Taylor had been created to care for her friends, and now Vaanu would care for Taylor.

“_But.. we’re not?” _Taylor was certain of it. Their consciousnesses should have joined together, but her thoughts and emotions remained hers alone. Vaanu had offered the spark of life, but her friends, the Catalysts of La Huerta, they’d taken that life and without ever knowing they were doing it, created a dauntless, caring, passionate human being. She was _theirs. _Vaanu did not, could not understand. “_Sometimes I think… sometimes I think I’m just physically… incompatible with this whole world. I don’t fit. I don’t feel the way you feel. And the time? To you, it’s nothing at all, but, Vaanu, it just drags on for me. It hurts me.”_

Vaanu had grown concerned. Expecting their child to merge seamlessly with themselves, healing their shared being, they went on as if as normal. But to carry Taylor’s spirit was to carry a sickness, sapping their essence like a poisonous limb. Confused, afraid, Vaanu encouraged Taylor to take refuge in those memories. When Taylor was lost in the world that had borne her, the creeping progression of that sickness could be stemmed, or at very least, slowed. But it was like fighting a rising tide. The being Vaanu had created, they were coming to realise, was not for this world.

All she had was time and the playground of her own mind, and the combination could make Taylor her own worst enemy. It was with such certainty that she’d made her choice, and she knew it could have been no other way, but still she wondered… for all the right she’d done, had she done right by Estela? For all the happy memories that stayed with Taylor, she could never shake the weight of those last despairing moments she’d shared with her wife. Estela had been shattered, brought to her knees; her heart saddled with a burden that cut to her very identity… and then, just as she was at her lowest point, Taylor had left her. Giving her brave, beautiful Estela what remained of her family, a future wide open and limitless; it had been what she needed, hadn’t it? All those miles away, was Estela happy? All those miles away, could Estela know how much Taylor loved her still? What Taylor would not give to hold her, just once more.

“_When your soulmate is worlds away__,”_ Taylor explained to a sympathetic but emotionally alien Vaanu, “_forever __is a long and lonely time.”_

* * *

The sun was just beginning to rise over San Trobida, bringing light to a town so recently blighted by civil war. In the quiet morning, peace might have felt like an inevitability, but the local people were still learning to put much faith in such a concept as tranquillity. In a small, tidy house that overlooked a wide strip of beach, Estela Montoya almost resented the atmosphere; the twittering of birds at odds with the turmoil in her soul as she packed away a few meagre supplies for her journey to come. For the reunion. The fifth.

Estela’s hands lingered over a pink satin ribbon, and her eyes glazed over. She could almost be back there, when she closed her eyes; joined by her hands and heart with the woman she loved. The most magical day of Estela’s life had been followed immediately by the darkest. She didn’t blame Taylor. No, she could never blame Taylor. Estela had long known that the right path was often the hardest; it was a lesson her mother had instilled in her. Taylor, the bravest person Estela had ever known, had given herself for the saving of the many. In her eyes, no doubt, the saving of Estela. That Estela was there now, living a life with her beloved uncle in the home she’d fought for, was all down to Taylor. That she had _friends_, that she’d graduated university, that she’d found a way off a path of destruction… again, Taylor. How was it possible to share just a few short weeks with a person, and walk away so indelibly changed, touched by them for eternity? Estela wiped her eyes with her free hand, then untied the ribbon from her bedpost. She slept with it beside her every night, a small, stupid way of making the lightyears that separated her from her wife seem less. Having carefully folded the ribbon, she tucked it into her bag alongside her clothes.

Losing Taylor had initially left Estela in a daze. It had all happened so fast… the horrifying realisation that Everett Rourke was her father never had a chance to sink in before she was hit with that final, devastating blow. Some twenty-four hours after pledging her heart and life to Estela, Taylor had left her. Left her tear-stained and shattered. Left her, and taken away the future they’d been blissfully been planning together just the night before. Suddenly, Estela’s dearest friend, the person who’d brought her back in touch with her humanity, her _soulmate_… was gone. It was as if those few precious weeks they’d shared was just some incredible dream, one that she’d had to wake from. Estela struggled to process it. Ever practical, she carried on, ensuring the authorities came for Rourke. She’d sat huddled alone on the rescue boat, unable to connect with her friends, all the while silent tears kept coming. Her friends… her wonderful friends; they’d offered her comfort however they could, but she retreated into herself, standoffish. It wasn’t that she didn’t appreciate their care, but she’d been hopelessly overwhelmed, _swamped _by sheer emotion. When Estela finally made it home, she’d fallen, sobbing into her uncle’s arms, the weight of one trauma after another bringing her to her knees at last.

Estela gathered the last few things she needed to pack; hesitating before stuffing a pamphlet in the pocket, and zipped up her bag.

“Estelita! You’re ready? If we leave soon, we might miss the traffic.”

“Coming, Tio!”

She wasn’t ready. She never was. So accustomed as she was to keeping her emotions behind walls, guarded from outsiders; returning to La Huerta, to face the inevitable tsunami of love and joy and despair, was taxing. Some years were better than others. The first had been hell. She loved her friends, utterly… more than she knew how to ever show them, but together on La Huerta, the gaping wound in their group would be inescapable. A part of her wished she could keep away, to give her own wounds the time to heal, but they were in this together; it had been written in the very stars. It wasn’t lost on Estela how fortunate she was to have her friends around her for their annual reunions; Taylor, of course, was all alone. It was enough to make the dredging up of painful emotions worth it. Pulling herself together, Estela hoisted her backpack over her shoulder and made to join her uncle in the front room.

“I’m ready.” _As I’ll ever be._

Nicolas put down his morning newspaper as his niece came into the room, and rummaged in his wallet. He held out a crinkled note. “Get something to put on your mom’s memorial, from me. Flowers… I’m sure you know what she’d like better than I ever did.”

“I will.” Estela hugged her _tio _tightly. Nicolas had visited the small tribute that had been erected outside The Celestial, but the once was enough for him; he couldn’t stick La Huerta. “Maybe flowers and just a small bottle of rum, so she knows it’s from you.”

With a bark of a laugh, Nicolas cuffed Estela about the head. “You’ll not go wasting good rum in my name! Leave a note, and _drink _the damn rum. Lord knows you could do to let your hair down, _mija.”_

Estela rolled her eyes. He was one to talk; the quintessential grumpy old man. But all he ever wanted was her happiness. She loved him so. “You don’t need to worry about that. I’m pretty sure the usual week-long party goes without saying. I’m sure I’ll crack a smile at some point.”

Nicolas brought his hands to Estela’s face, looking over it with deepest affection. From the day was born, Estela had been like a daughter to him, and it was for her that he’d fought so hard for a free San Trobida. He’d shaped her into a fighter, a survivor, imparting everything he knew in the hope of seeing her through to that better world. There was only so much he could do, however, for that broken heart of hers. “Try, Estelita. You never know how long you’ll have with the people who love you; embrace them.”

He kissed her forehead.

“Oh, Tio, you’ve gone so soft.” Estela tucked the note in her bag and started for the door. “You _better _have actually made some progress on that memoir of yours by the time I get back…”

With her _tio _driving, Estela reminisced as she watched the world go by out her window. San Trobida was a markedly different place to what it had been when she’d left on her mission to avenge her mother, just as she, Estela, was a markedly different person. Surviving the adventure of a lifetime, falling in love… all of that could do that to a person. The five years since she’d returned from La Huerta had been eventful. Seeing to it that Rourke was brought to justice through the courts, whilst simultaneously working to clear Jake and Mike’s names had been all-consuming, making Estela’s completion of her degree an uphill struggle. But she did it. The hard part came when the dust settled, when all of a sudden there was time to reflect, to bask in grief. The part where Estela should have had her happy ending. If only her happy ending hadn’t been stolen away, ripped from her arms and catapulted to the stars, forever out of reach. She should have felt satisfaction. Rourke was answering for his crimes; he’d never see the light of day again. It just… didn’t feel like winning. Not without… her. Not without Taylor.

Estela couldn’t help but smile as her uncle cursed some idiot driver. He swore like a sailor; no doubt it was where she’d picked up the habit herself. She knew he worried about her… with the war over, she guessed he had to worry about _something, _but _god, _she hated that he felt in any way as though he was failing her. 

It wasn’t that she hadn’t tried to move on with her life. Since graduating, Estela had busied herself in her local community, helping in the efforts to rebuild. Nicolaswas constantly on her back; urging her to expand her horizons, to spread her wings and take herself somewhere that she could truly blossom. But he didn’t understand. Now, San Trobida was -for the most part- at peace, there was no vengeance to be had, and the two people she loved most in all the world were lost to her forever. Her senses of self, of purpose, were left shaken. Caring for her home, and embracing what little was left of her family… it was the only thing that felt right to her. Estela had seen a version of herself living that life, _happy_, and that vision was enough to keep her resolve strong. That happy Estela she’d seen when she took the photograph from Vaanu… she’d been thinking about starting a family. For a long time, Estela believed it had been a sign that Taylor might somehow return to her, that they’d have their family, for to her, family _meant Taylor._ Who else would she ever raise a child with? Slowly, though, she’d had to come to terms with the fact that the family she’d dreamed of could not include the woman she loved. It pained her. It pained her every single day, but she couldn’t let herself succumb to despair, not when so much had been sacrificed for the sake of her living a fulfilling life. If Taylor could not physically be a part of that future, that family, Estela would live it in her honour. She was determined that someday soon, she and her _tio _would be truly happy. Some days, that belief was the only thing that could get her up out of bed.

The airport came into view; an old building well over-due an upgrade. Estela’s stomach clenched as she remembered that first fateful flight to La Huerta, the first time she laid eyes on Taylor. It hurt- of _course _it hurt- but somehow, going to La Huerta always felt like going home.

* * *

  


_Before a shimmering sea, Taylor and Estela sat upon the sand, their handfasting regalia glittering in the sunlight. Having gotten comfortable, Taylor held out a spiny dragonfruit, gently placing it in Estela’s hands._

“_Wow,” Estela said. “I’ve never seen a fruit like this before.”_

“_Gurgi said it’s pretty rare. Supposedly it, uh, ‘smells like the person you love most’.”_

_Estela broke open the fruit and offered Taylor half before bringing the remainder to her own face and breathing in the scent. “It…smells exactly like you!”_

“_Wait, seriously?” Taylor cried, her eyes suddenly round as dinner plates._

_The feigned shock on Estela’s face fell away, replaced with a cheeky smile. Not so long ago, the playful gleam in those dark eyes would have been an impossibility, but La Huerta, and_ Taylor_ had their way of changing things. “Of course not. Would you really want to eat a fruit that smelled like a person?”_

_She had a point. Shaking her head lovingly, Taylor conceded that she might have been a _little _gullible. “I guess you’re right.”_

“_But I will say,” Estela added, “… it smells very tasty.” She gave Taylor a wink before biting into the exotic fruit._

_Taylor laughed and followed suit. Granted, the fruit didn’t exactly emit _parfum de Estela, _but it sure tasted nice. “Mmm… sweet and tangy.”_

The memory faded, Estela’s smiling face drifting further away… and Taylor was alone again. Oh, how she ached. _Estela… _It had become harder, keeping the memories going. Initially, Taylor had felt panic; those visions of the life she’d lived were_all she had left. _But it became clear that it wasn’t the recollections that were weakening, it was _Taylor herself;_ it was her _and _Vaanu. She sensed her creator’s thoughts and emotions; Vaanu was afraid, coming to a slow realisation that Taylor’s presence in their whole, still so very human, was doing them harm. As Taylor struggled to connect into the memories that sustained her, her spirit was crashing ever faster with little chance of recovery. It seemed to her that she was dying, and Vaanu with her.

Faced with her own mortality, Taylor was oddly calm. Her purpose had been fulfilled; the Earth saved, timelines merged, and her friends given the futures they deserved. Vaanu had gone home. This life she was living, merely _existing _as a passenger within Vaanu’s entity, held for her no meaning. This life… more and more it seemed as if she was simply physically incompatible with it. Soon, she knew, she would be at peace. Her life completed; no more loneliness, and no regrets. Maybe she and the Endless might reminisce together in whatever afterlife is waiting for her. Then maybe, someday… a part of her might be with her friends once more. She was ready.

* * *

Estela arrived in Costa Rica some hours later after an uneventful plane journey. It had been time for reflection, for space in her own head, which was welcome- for she knew space and quiet would soon be hard to come by. She’d sat stoically through the flight, staring straight ahead and letting her mind do whatever processing was needed for the reunion to come. Estela had to brace herself, as always, for the unpleasant physical jolt that would no doubt accompany seeing the faces of ten friends rather than eleven. It was funny; they’d known Taylor just a few short weeks, but still the reunited group felt incomplete without her. So strong, Estela supposed, was her presence, truly the beating heart that kept the Catalyst gang going through thick or thin, that the short time was all she’d needed to make her mark. She wandered through to the gate, quietly keeping an eye out for familiar faces.

“_Estelaaaaa!!!!_” came a great holler.

She turned to see Raj striding towards her, arms outstretched. For all her apprehension, the grin that lit her face came easily. Had she forgotten just how good this felt?

“What up, my dude, _what up?!_” Then Raj caught himself just before smothering Estela in a bear hug. Having overstepped boundaries in the past and had bruises to show for it, he made a point of checking in first. “I’m coming in for a hug… you good?”

Estela closed the gap for him, pulling him into a firm embrace. She needed that hug. Hell, one would not be near enough, but it was a start. “Hey, Chef,” she mumbled into his chest. “It’s good to see you.”

She felt another set of arms around her -Quinn – then another, then another… until she was lost in a sea of friends. The butterflies in her stomach wouldn’t settle, but she ignored the sensation, instead focusing on that most precious of gifts that Taylor had given her; the courage to give love and receive it in return.

Michelle flung her arms around Estela’s neck. “Would it hurt to answer our messages once in a while?! And a single word is _not _an answer. I swear, you’re worse than Zahra…” She gave her friend a little shake. “You can’t live all the way in San Trobida and then be un-fucking-communicative!”

Estela shrugged, but the affection in her eyes was plain to see. “I’d rather have conversations in person.” She conceded, though, that Michelle _did _have a point. If she wanted to be happy, being close to the people who mattered to her would be a damn good start. She _wanted _to see her friends more; she was just… a little lost. Still. But she was trying not to be. “I’ll have to visit more often. I’ll try.”

“You’d better.” Michelle’s threatening gaze, honed in the practice of making sure difficult patients stayed in bed, was withering. “Unless you want a very angry doctor showing up on your doorstep…”

Aleister waded in, scowling. “Could we perhaps save the emotional displays for when we don’t have a plane to catch?”

Beside him, Craig just scoffed. “You know that’s the pilot, right there?” He pointed to Jake. “Don’t look like he’s taking off yet. Wait, why are we letting Jake fly us, again?”

With a middle-finger-salute Craig’s way, Jake reluctantly hurried things along. They had a reunion party to get started.

Down the narrow aisle of the plane, Estela approached Diego, who was gazing wistfully out the window, alone. Just as he had, she knew, that first time they set off for La Huerta. Had he not been so lonely, would Taylor ever have existed?

“You mind if I sit with you?” By now, it probably would have gone without saying- it was their arrangement for their every trip back to the island, but if Diego needed space, she wouldn’t dream of intruding on it. Taylor’s loss weighed upon him heavily, and like no one else, he understood the aching hollowness that had been left behind in Estela.

As anticipated, Diego’s face brightened. He couldn’t bear the thought of sitting next to an empty seat. Besides, it wasn’t a proper reunion trip if he and Estela weren’t creating a little black hole of misery in the middle of the plane. It was their duty as Chief Mourners. “Please!” he said, “I don’t think I could do this alone.”

With a quiet nod of understanding, Estela sat down beside him. These things were always awkward to begin with. She never knew what to say. She could _feel _the concern, the pity, from everyone all around her. Diego had sat with her on the journey enough times to know that it was best just to leave her be; she’d open herself up to her friends again in good time, but she needed space to feel her grief.

In no time at all, the small aircraft was powering down the runway. For Estela, the chatter around her was a just a buzz of white noise. She closed her eyes and replayed that final, haunting message in her head. It was seared into her memory, to be called upon at any time, in any place.

“_Estela, I promised you a year and a day, and I’m sorry I won’t be able to fulfil that vow. Part of me will be with you always. And you I take with me, wherever I’m headed next. It’s because of you that I’m able to face this decision. The strength and confidence you taught me…. You gave me a lifetime worth of love in a few, short weeks…”_

When she opened her eyes, her cheeks were wet, and the plane was soaring over the sea. The lump in her throat was choking. She glanced to her side, and saw tears in Diego’s eyes. He needed a friend, and this time, one wasn’t going to magically materialise.

“Hey…” Estela spoke softly. “Any news on your manuscript?”

Relief flooded Diego’s face at the distraction from thoughts of Taylor. “Oh, that? Finished! Now all I’ve got to do is offer that piece of my heart and soul for the scrutiny of potential publishers.” He gave a nervous laugh. “But after La Huerta, how terrifying can that be?”

Estela offered a knowing smile. “You’ll make it happen. We’re all behind you, and somewhere, she is too. That’s what you saw when Vaanu gave you your toys, wasn’t it? Your book being successful?”

“Excuse me; _action figures_, thank you very much.” Diego gave a small sigh. That vision he’d shared with Taylor had given him so much; a star to follow, knowing that he was capable of making the dream come true. Taylor had seen that, and it was for that future, and those of the rest of her friends, that she’d sacrificed herself. It wasn’t just for himself that Diego had something to prove; he had to honour his best friend. “And not just successful- _New York Times Bestseller List. _Now that I know it _can _happen, I don’t feel like I can ever give up on it.”

“If I can help in any way…” Estela trailed off. What kind of help could she possibly offer? What did she know of these things? But she looked up and saw earnest gratitude in Diego’s eyes. He got it.

The renewed quiet between them was no longer so heavy with sadness. This was what it was all about; getting on with their lives and reaching their far horizons. For herself, Estela had been unsure of what that far horizon might look like, but her friends’ successes were _her _successes. They gave her something to smile about, and that was worth a whole damn lot. Sean had been signed with the Condors, Raj had his cooking show taking off like a rocket- with Craig and Zahra going along for the ride between their own ventures, Michelle was practising medicine at last. Aleister had been given control of Rourke International and was slowly turning that juggernaut around, a task he shared with Grace when she wasn’t busy stunning the art world. Quinn’s non-profit was already making an impact, with cupcake campaigns raising tens of thousands to help young people with chronic illnesses. And Jake? Jake was _free_. He came by San Trobida from time to time, as his flight schedules would allow. Most often, though, it was just Estela and her _tio_, taking on their new, peaceful world together. Perhaps her far horizon could be something that simple. Though she wasn’t ready to jump in and get into the jovial chattering all around her, Estela quietly took it all in, listening to her friends’ stories as they recounted the past months, and feeding off the atmosphere- electric as it always was. Diego had gotten to his feet and was goofing off with Craig and Raj, getting into the swing of things at last. Reunited, the group just came alive, and it was as if they’d never been apart.

Estela let the time pass her by in a happy blur for as long as she could. Then came Jake’s voice over the speaker announcing the start of their descent. The effect was instantaneous. It was as if a storm cloud had settled over her heart. Excitement kept on building all around her, louder and louder, as if mocking her grief. Diego slumped into the seat next to hers, pale.

“Here we go…” he muttered, and they shared an understanding glance. Time for a big wallop of emotion.

Around them, voices rose in song, as per tradition. Sean began, as he always did. “_You were the beeest that I had eeever foouund…”_

Jake wasn’t throwing the plane around in a frantic battle with the mother of all storms, but their humble tribute to the fateful arrival… and to Taylor, instigator of the first such sing-along, was rousing in itself. One by one, the friends added in their voices, until the only one remaining silent was the one which always had; Estela’s.

“_But now you’ve chaaanged and want to draaaag meee doooown!”_

“_Go anheaaad and doubt me through it aaaall…”_

Shaking, Diego sang out the last line, even as tears threatened to fall. _“But I ain’t never… ever… eveeer gonna faaall!”_

Estela’s stomach swooped as she caught her first sight of La Huerta, Atropo looming into the clear blue sky. Simultaneously, she felt closer to Taylor, and yet felt the distance more than ever. Beside her, Diego’s breath juddered. Without a word, he laid his head on her shoulder. Her heart aching, Estela took Diego’s hand and squeezed, feeling the gentle pressure gratefully reciprocated. _God, Taylor, I hope you know how much we still love you._

* * *

In her weakness, the crystal world around Taylor was a blur. As long as she was strong enough to keep her memories playing through her mind, none of that mattered. If she was on her way out, she’d go bathing in the life that had been hers. She had to see Estela again. Taylor let her consciousness float away, lost in its own past.

_Colonnade Cove was quiet but for the gentle lapping of the sea over the pristine shore. Upon the fine sand, Taylor held Estela warm against her chest. Their wedding night. Estela’s head rested upon Taylor’s chest as they looked up at the starry sky together. Lovingly, Taylor combed her bride’s hair with her fingers, while she studied the stars for constellations she could create._

“_I see… a warrior queen! She was strong and tough. Ready to go into battle at the first sign of trouble…. She built walls around her heart so she can focus on her duty, but some days, she still felt lonely.”_

_Ever so slightly, Estela snuggled in closer. “What happened to her?”_

“_Well, the legends say that one day she fell in love and was happy from then on.”_

_A broad grin lit up Estela’s face. “So she was.”_

_Taylor kept on stroking Estela’s thick, dark hair, gritty with sand. Estela relaxed into the intimate touch, and to Taylor it meant the world. How surreal it still was to be granted such trust. “What about you? What do you see?”_

“_I see… a hero. Someone who protects their friends no matter the cost. Someone who brings everyone together.” Estela glanced upwards, meeting Taylor’s eye with a soft smirk. “Oh, you meant in the sky?”_

A new voice shook through Taylor’s consciousness. “_Taylor…”_

_No…_ She didn’t want to leave this place, not knowing if she’d have the strength to return… to see Estela again. This couldn’t be the end; she wouldn’t let it…. Still the vision swam around her._Estela…_Voices became muffled. Even as Taylor fought and focused with all her might, trying to hold on to the scrap of a life she’d once known, trying to keep on looking into Estela’s starry eyes, she felt it all slip away from her. _No… Estela…_

“_…Taylor… You have hidden away too long.”_

As that damned barren landscape filled Taylor’s feeble senses once more, she seethed. “_Why?” _she demanded. “_You will never understand, Vaanu; how I need them! You pretend you don’t feel me dying…”_

“_There will be no more pretense”, _spoke Vaanu. “_I know the agony of having a piece of one’s heart absent. How it can drive one to near madness. I never intended that agony for you, Taylor. __You were created with love, to heal. But it is you who must be healed.”_

Taylor scoffed bitterly. All this time with so little acknowledgement of how this existence was destroying her, and only _now_, only now that Vaanu themself was at risk of dying did they appear to care. “_I think we’re beyond that now. __I’m happy I set you free, I just… I don’t think I can survive like this much longer. Maybe it’s better that you just let me fade away and die. I’ve never really been right for this world. I’m too… human.”_

“_I know.” _Vaanu’s discomfort was plain to feel. “_I underestimated the influence of the bonds you forged. Like I told you so long; all I planted was a seed- it was your friends’ love that made you the being you are today. It was my belief that you and I were one and the same, that on this world, you too would flourish. Though I tried to give you comfort, I see now that I was mistaken.”_

To have Vaanu speak the truth, to _accept _it after all this time, calmed Taylor. What was the point of her anger? She could stew for the little that remained of her lifespan and what would it achieve? Her life was worth more than that. Estela’s face swam before her; eyes, once so fierce… gentle. It broke Taylor’s heart but gave her a swell of courage. For Estela, for all her friends, she would hold onto who she was. Who she’d always been. A friend to those struggling to find their way. “_You tried. You never meant me harm. I only want to be able to see those memories until the end. When I’ve faded to nothing, you’ll _really _be free, but I want to go remembering the person I was.”_

“_No,” _Vaanu said. _“I will be free when I have done right be the being I brought to life. You are and have always been my responsibility. The sickness we share if of my own making, and now it is _my _sacrifice that must put it right.”_

It was as if her whole world stopped turning, frozen in the face of some miraculous speck of light in unending darkness. Taylor couldn’t dare let hope take hold. Could Vaanu _really _be suggesting what it sounded like they were? She had an inkling, and that inkling was enough to make her feel closer to being alive than she had since she kissed Estela goodbye. _“What… what are you saying?”_

“_Taylor. My child. It was your kindness and courage that granted me safe passage home; child of mine, I will offer you that gift in return. If it takes the last reserves of my energy, I must send you back to Earth, to your mate. I am setting you free.”_


	2. Come Find Me

Estela set her backpack beside her bed in the tidy hotel room, and flopped herself heavily down with a rumbling groan. After the best part of a day spent surrounded by the social buzz that came with the return to La Huerta, she was quietly grateful to have a little space. By this point, the fifth reunion trip, she had her own routine worked out. That first day would be her time to reflect, to process, to feel, to grieve. She’d join her friends around the fire when they toasted in the anniversary, but for the most part, she’d leave them to enjoy their frivolities without her until she’d dealt with the staggering heft of her emotional baggage. Five years on, and this never got any damn easier.

The Celestial, or rather, The _New _Celestial as the Catalysts referred to it, had always been the first stop in every reunion. Of course, the group would find their way to Elyys’tel, the Elysian Lodge, Quarr’tel… but The Celestial was basically _home_. The rebuilt hotel was far smaller than the original, but the care Aleister and Grace had put into the place made it wonderfully welcoming– as did all the little touches that inspired nostalgia; installations that had been salvaged… artwork inspired by very real events that by now felt like dreams… the Hadean zodiac symbols that cropped up now and then unexpectedly. And there was a memorial garden. Estela’s next port of call.

With flowers from her uncle in-hand, Estela slunk into the secluded gardens at the far end of the resort. She kept quiet, hoping to avoid attracting company. Some things she needed to do alone. The memorial was modest– as Estela had wanted it. She wasn’t one for frills, and neither had been her mother. Beneath a flowering tree, a bronze plaque had been placed with rough wooden carving of two women in an embrace, and marked with the words _‘In honour of of Dr. Olivia Montoya, and her heroic stand for justice. Never shall we yield where a wrong is to be righted._’ Into the carving itself, jagged lines had been etched, forming a more personal tribute. Simply, _‘In my heart, forever. –Estela’_. At the other end of the garden lay a memorial to Mike– no doubt Jake would be by in due time to pay his respects. For now, though, Estela had the sacred place to herself. At the carving, she placed down the flowers, and the bottle of rum– half empty; a compromise– then sat down in the cool grass, her hand-fasting ribbon wrapped around her hand.

“Well, I’m back,” she mumbled into her chest. Estela always felt stupidly self-conscious talking to people who weren’t even there. It was necessary, though. To get things moving along; to shift the pain that had settled itself over her heart. The sooner she moved through some of that shit, the sooner she could stop putting a downer on the reunion. But, yes, it _definitely _felt stupid. “Uh, I guess Tio’s fine. I’m fine…” Her breath caught in her throat. “Not great, but… fine.”

There was no movement, no sound, nothing to suggest that her words did anything but echo around an empty garden. Not even a deaf ear for them to fall upon. Then and there, that rum was beginning to look tempting….

“I think I know now, what comes next. You both wanted me to live my life, and I have been… I’ve really tried… but part of me’s been waiting. Hoping. I’m sorry, Taylor. That’s not what you wanted. But you already knew I was stubborn. Giving up; it’s not me.” Estela felt tears welling in her eyes, hot in the dusk air. She let them fall. This was good; she needed to let herself feel this, to wallow just for a little while. It was all so close to the surface, raw and stinging. For many years, she’d barely cried at all, but now? It was as if she’d been cut wide open, totally vulnerable. Her mouth dry, she twiddled with the ribbon. “I’m making plans now.” The tears came faster. “But that doesn’t mean…. There’ll always be room for you in my life, if you can ever…. I want….” _Come back, come back, come back. _The lump in her throat was choking; she couldn’t breathe. She’d been holding on too long. Gasping, Estela fell against the tree, and the sobs came hard and freely as she cried out for the arms around her that she knew could never come.

The sky shone with hues of red and orange, and slowly darkened, leaving just a distant glow that would soon dip below the horizon. Mirthful shouts pierced the stillness of the evening. Already, the gang were getting rowdy. Estela felt the twitch of a smile at her lips at the sound of a yell that was unmistakablyCraig. Damn, she loved those idiots. Soon, she’d join them. But not yet. She wasn’t… she wasn’t quite…. With a groan of anguished frustration, Estela roughly wiped her wet face and stared up into the heavens, alive with the colours of sunset. As stars began to pepper the twilight sky, it felt as though a cold fist had clenched itself around her heart.

_God, Taylor, where _are _you?_

* * *

  
  


It was as though Taylor’s mind was exploding with fireworks. Light and warmth surged through her entire being, rending her stunned and helpless. _Back to Earth… to your mate… free…._

“_You can…” _she tried to get the words out, but her mind seemed to be in some weird haze. “_You can send me back?”_

“_I must,” _Vaanu said simply. _“But I am weakening, Taylor. We both are. If it is not now…”_

“_Then send me home now.” _Pure exhilaration. How could this even be happening? After all this time, could she_ really_ be that close to seeing her friends again? To Estela? God, _Estela…__“Please.”_ Before she knew what was happening, hysteria took hold. She _had _to go. _“Let me go, let me go— Estela— please, let me… let me…”_

And then, to her horror, Taylor felt her consciousness fading, slipping away from her. Her being was frail, pushed to breaking point as a wave of emotion swept her up. She just had to hold on; she had to hold on, and she could go home. _No! Not now! “Home– let me go… home… Estela… Estela…” _The crystal world blurred, and the voice that called out to her came not from Vaanu, but from some distant memory. A voice that might keep her flame afire.

“_Come on, stay with me.”_

_Estela?_

“_Taylor, focus on my voice.”_

_I can’t reach you…_

“_There you are. Stay with me. You’re coming back.”_

_I can’t reach…_

Then all was white light.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Night fell upon La Huerta, and outside The Celestial, the raucous sounds of festivities filled the air. Estela slowly made her way back around the resort, taking a trail through the edge of the forest so she could walk off her feelings without intrusion. She’d rejoin her friends soon, but she wasn’t quite there yet. A rustling of leaves put her on alert in an instant, her body tensed and poised to react. For all the danger that had passed, this was still _La Huerta_, and it had its way of throwing out surprises. Here and now, though, Estela didn’t sense a threat.

“Oh, hey…” Diego greeted as he emerged through the foliage. His eyes flickered over Estela’s face, trying to ascertain quickly whether she’d be open to talking. “I’ve been looking for you. I hope you don’t mind… I mean, it’s all right if you wanna be left alone, I–”

“No- stay with me.” Estela reached for his arm, her expression soft. Had it been anyone else, she’d have wanted them to leave; but with Diego… she shared something. To be near to him was oddly healing. Did he feel the same about her? Was that why he’d been seeking her out? Her brow furrowed. She wasn’t sure she knew best how to offer comfort. “Is there anything I can do?”

“I’m just, you know, not quite ready to celebrate yet. They want me to do a toast. I _will.” _He sighed, his skinny shoulders heaving. “Just… gotta clear my head first. And I thought you might, I dunno… want someone to vent to as well? When we were on the plane, we hardly talked. I never really asked you how you were. You probably thought that I didn’t care, but it wasn’t that, I…” The words died in his throat, but as Diego looked into Estela’s serious face, he realised she got it. _I wasn’t ready to feel those things. To break down._

They walked together through the forest edge, shoulder to shoulder. Diego rarely ventured into the savage La Huerta jungle at night unless he had Varyyn by his side, but his current companion gave him that same quiet confidence and security. Funny; he’d once found Estela to be totally unnerving.

“I’ve tried so hard to be happy,” Estela had been saying, her voice a rumbling growl. This was not something she talked about easily. Or, _at all_, really. It was too painful. But she wouldn’t let the grief drown her. She had to be stronger than that. For Taylor _and _her mother. “I tell myself that it’s gonna get better, that if I just hold out a little while longer, if I keep trying it might… it might feel like I wasn’t just going through the motions. It’s like I’m waiting for something… something, _anything _that could make me feel happy in the way she did.” Estela hunched herself over, unable to stop her vulnerability from showing. It was too damn much. She kicked out viciously at a tree as they walked by, trying to vent her anger, her sheer frustration, but knowing she could only scratch the surface. “I’m supposed to be _living_!” she cried, the agonising swell coming close to overpowering her, “It’s why my mother left me to work for Rourke; it’s why Taylor…”

Estela couldn’t even say it. _Y__o__u promised you’d be there with me! You told me we’d find my new purpose together! _She struggled to get a hold of her breathing, which was almost uncontrollably shallow. Feeling Diego’s hand on her shoulder, she looked up, meeting his eyes. Reflected in them was sorrow, the grief that wouldn’t fade. _Huh. Most people would have flinched away. _To see him so calmly _there for her_, when everything about her was good as screaming at him to do himself a favour and leave, it made her soften. More than ever, Estela found herself aware that it was in Diego that Vaanu had found the inspiration to bring Taylor into being. Diego’s heart, the core of him, was what had allowed Taylor to be the beautiful, compassionate person she’d been.

She took a deep breath; getting a hold of herself… for his sake. “If I can’t be happy… it means I’ve thrown it away- everything they sacrificed. And, _god, _I can’t bear it…”

“I… I actually get it,” Diego said, his eyes downcast. “I feel like I owe it to Taylor to make every second count; to live a life so worthwhile it makes up for hers being taken away. Whatever I do, it never feels like it’s enough.”

Estela slid to the ground, and let Diego huddle up beside her, still resting a consoling hand on her shoulder. Slowly, her breathing steadied. She considered Diego quietly. Somehow, she seemed to give him comfort. The notion, to her, was downright bizarre. “I never had any big aspirations for after I got justice for Mom,” she said, after a long while. “It never occurred to me that I had a purpose beyond that. The only thing I ever…” She sighed sadly. To acknowledge her broken dreams out loud was something she’d rarely done for the pain of it. “I started to think I might have a family of my own. You know, be a mother. My mom was my hero; I guess I want to be that person for someone. But it was meant to be _us_; Taylor, me, baby… and Tio Nicolas doing his cranky old uncle routine. Not this.”

“You as a mom? I honestly don’t think there could be anything that would’ve made Taylor happier.”

Estela knew that he was, of course, completely right. It had been hell to decide to get on with it all without Taylor; but she’d have been happy for her. Someday, she would tell the child about Taylor; their hero watching over them from the stars, loving them always. In their own way, they’d all be together. But it wasn’t enough. Could it ever be?

She turned her gaze to those twinkling stars, but her heart was heavy. It weighed her down, as if it were determined to pull her into the dirt, broken and defeated. Her glassy-eyed stare roamed the dark sky; searching for a sign, for_ anything._ _Are you even out there? _Had Taylor’s light fizzled to nothing some millions of miles away? Or worse, was she enduring some tortured existence, facing a cruel and empty universe alone? Estela had promised, she’d _promised __Taylor_that she’d be there in her corner no matter what. With every passing hour, she was failing her. Again, tears pricked at her eyes. She could feel Diego’s eyes on her, concerned by her faraway gaze, the tears now running down her cheeks…. Would this ever stop hurting?

“You know what the worst thing is?” she spat out suddenly. “We don’t know if she’s even alive out there. If she _is_; is she on her own? I think of her suffering, alone out there… _for us…_” She roughly wiped her face with her sleeve. “I think it’s breaking my heart more with every fucking day.”

Diego made a choking sound and put his hands to his face. “S-sorry…” he gasped out, through tears, “that came on suddenly.” It was a raw nerve. A worry that was always there, but rarely acknowledged, for helplessness would soon become despair. “I tell myself she’s okay, she’s happy… but I dunno if I can ever really believe it.” He spluttered and coughed, and a sympathetic Estela tentatively put an arm around him, then another. Diego hugged back, and sobbed into her shoulder.

Estela said nothing, for she had no words of solace that would carry any truth. Instead, she held her friend tight, supporting him as he cried through excruciatingly familiar heartache, while tears silently dripped down from her own face.

Slowly, Diego recovered himself, a weak, trembling smile returning to his face. “Huh, I guess it’s not a real reunion until you’ve done the sobbing breakdown thing, is it?”

“Nope,” Estela sighed. In her experience, definitely not.

“I, uh, don’t know if anyone’s ever told you this, but you’re a pretty decent hugger.”

“Not a single person has ever said that about me.”

The deadpan of Estela’s voice and expression made Diego chortle. Some things never changed.

Estela hesitated before speaking again, trying to get the full measure of Diego… how he might respond… before taking the plunge. What she’d wanted to bring up with him was… sensitive. Having long decided that the reunion would be the best opportunity to have these conversations, didn’t mean that actually going ahead with it was easy.

“Listen, I…” After several long moments, she looked up from her wringing hands and faced the issue head-on. “I actually want to start looking at options for using a donor. It’s never gonna be the family I dreamed of, not without Taylor, but I’m ready to have someone else to love. I… didn’t want to say anything to _anyone_ else yet, but I wanted to ask if you might…?” Her cheeks flushed, and she shook her head, embarrassed. She was asking way too much. _But I have to,_ she told herself, _this was what Taylor would have wanted_.

“Are you asking what I _think _you’re asking?”

Pulling herself together, Estela looked Diego steadily in the eye. He knew what this meant to her. “Would you consider being the donor? I know how massive this is, and I don’t want you to answer right away. I just think that Taylor would want more than anything to have you be a part of our baby. _I _want that.”

Diego felt a lump rise up in his throat. Again. ‘_Our’ baby. _Estela, of course, saw any baby in her future as Taylor’s. _Their _future. _Their _baby. And she wanted him to be a part of that. Fighting for any semblance of acceptance from his own family for so long, it was a gift beyond anything he could ever ask for.

“I-” he managed to force out, “I want to do that for you. Yes- _yes- _of course!”

“No.” Estela’s voice was stern in her conviction. He needed to understand. To_ really_ understand. This was a life they were talking about, and she sure as hell wouldn’t have it taken lightly. Vaanu might have thought it fine and well to just bring some person into being with no thought for potential impacts on that innocent new life, but _she _did not. She was not goddamn Vaanu. “I want you to really think about it. I want you to think about what you’d want out of it; I mean, you could be as involved as you wanted. But this isn’t something you should decide just like that. On impulse. I _know _I wanna do this… I need to know you’re certain before I accept an answer from you. Okay?”

Returning the solemn eye contact, Diego nodded slowly. “Of course. I’ll take some time, talk with Varyyn, and… and then I’ll get back to you.”

It was a small weight off. Small, but significant. A step forward. Estela’s breath shook as she accepted Diego’s assurance, and hitched as he pulled her into another hug.

“Thank you, Estela… _thank you.” _Could she know just what it had meant to him that she’d even ask? How his heart was now soaring with love, a feeling of familial acceptance, complete and unconditional, that he’d so craved? It was a big ask of that hug, to put all that into a wordless embrace. But something _had _to be said, for he wanted her to feel it too. “J-just so you know, whatever happens, I’m behind you.” He stammered, “I-I’d never force you to open up, but… if you ever, if you ever needed…”

Estela squeezed him back. So often, she’d felt isolated in what she was moving through; but Diego understood, and where he didn’t understand, he _cared. _Through whatever came next, they were family. “I get it. Thanks. Really; _thanks._”

The poolside was alive with music and chatter when Estela and Diego finally turned up to join their friends, drawn in by the scents that were wafting from the kitchen.

Varyyn rushed to put his long, muscular arms around his husband. He’d suffered his own devastating loss five years ago as well. It was a time for reflection, but, he hoped, more gratitude than sadness. “You’re feeling better, my love?”

Diego reached up to kiss Varyyn. “Yeah, I’m good. Just, you know, imagining Taylor looking down on us from the stars. I’m pretty sure she’s got Mufasa as her stand-in side-kick.”

“You must take your place in the circle of life,” Varyyn recited, knowing he’d earn a sweet smile. He was not to be disappointed.

Most of the group had taken to the water, working up an appetite before the feast began. Estela doubted she’d need to; all that crying had her spent- and famished.

“Yo, Dragon-breath!”

She rolled her eyes. “_Katniss _to you, _cabron.”_

“Right, if ya like.” Jake hauled himself half over the edge of the pool to take a swig of beer. He looked over Estela. She didn’t seem too tightly wound, despite what her grumbling might have been intended to portray. First day of the reunion always seemed to be hit-or-miss Estela-wise, but she’d made an appearance before dinner, and that was definitely a good sign. “Ya never told us; they train you up in the ancient art of pool noodle jousting when you were paramilitary?”

Estela’s mouth twitched, a smirk fighting to break through. “Why? Do you wanna get your sorry ass whipped? Or asking for a friend?”

Craig emerged from the water, like a while breaching, sending a spray out behind him.

“Was that a Little Mermaid hair flip?” Quinn called out to him from her pool-noodle-recliner.

“Chyeah, it was!” Upon noticing Jake’s proximity to Estela, he surged forward with a yell. “_Estela! _Wanna jump on Team Namasiao?”

“Katniss ain’t for sale!” Jake turned back to her. “Really wanna team up with Pinky and the Brain?”

Right, there was that smirk. “Seems like you’re scared you can’t take me.” Estela’s eyes sparkled with mischief. To hell with it; she might as well try and have fun– soon enough her friends would be miles away from her and she’d miss all this. “You want me on your shoulders, Craig?”

Zahra whooped, triumphant. “We’ve got Estela, bitches! Suck it.”

The ensuing fight was loud and vicious. From her perch on Craig’s broad shoulders, Estela did indeed whip Jake’s sorry ass, to the hollering cheers of onlookers. The first night of reunion was traditionally… high octane. Too much excitement, too much alcohol, and storming emotions simmering beneath the surface; that things got wild quickly was hardly surprising. When his skill at fencing slipped into public knowledge, Aleister found himself roped into the melee, though he insisted that the fine sport of fencing and pool noodle brawling were _not _oneand the same. It was, however, a special occasion, and with everyone else already having jumped in, he would indulge them this childish nonsense- if only to honour the member of their party not there to participate.

When Raj hopped out of the pool to wrap things up in the kitchen, Estela followed suit, heading to the woodpile so she could get the requisite bonfire going.

“Do you need a hand?” A gentle voice made Estela turn.

“I’ve got it, Grace.” She gave a little nod of acknowledgement. “Thanks.”

“How about some company?”

Grace’s eyes were round and earnest. She wanted to help. Since it had come to light that Estela and Aleister shared a father, Grace had made efforts to treat her as part of their own little family unit. It was sweet, and she appreciated it, but their life was a world away from hers. She didn’t want to admit it, but seeing the two of them take their whirlwind La Huerta romance away into the world, to build a life together… it was like a knife twisting in her chest. It wasn’t their fault. She _wanted_ them to be happy. Perhaps in a year or so, when she had a baby to fulfil her, to be an outlet for all the love that was being wasted; perhaps then it might be easier.

Estela nodded again. “This place is really looking nice,” she said conversationally, gathering up an armful of firewood. “You should be proud.”

“Thank you, Estela. It’s a labour of love. Once we got started, it was hard to stop.”

“It feels as though there’s a new piece of your artwork up every time I come here.” Estela offered a smile. “Definitely a step up from all those goddamn pictures of Rourke.”

Grace chuckled. “I sure hope so!” She picked up a few longs and walked alongside her sister-in-law. “You should come around sometime. Not for the reunion, but if you could ever use a holiday. You know we’ll always be happy to cover any expenses to bring you here.”

It was a kind offer, and Estela could feel the genuine affection there, but to come back to this place? She wasn’t sure she could stomach anything more than the annual trip.

“There’s no pressure,” Grace added hastily. “I just want you to know that we’d love to spend more time with you.”

Estela met her eye. “I appreciate that. Maybe…? Uh, I’ll think about it. I can’t give you more than that, not yet.” 

The look on Grace’s face told her that she understood, and she appreciated that, too. One trip to La Huerta, though, was enough for her to contemplate at once. Happily, Estela busied herself with getting the fire going. Future plans could wait; from the smells coming their way, the feast around the bonfire would not.

  
  


The crackling of the fire was drowned out by the sounds of energetic banter over a scrumptious meal. Ravenous, Estela had piled her plate up high. To be a part of the conversations was easier now; she’d shed just about all the tears she had in her. And the food? She had to hand it to Raj; his meal was warming her from head to toe, revitalising her after an emotionally trying day.

“Hey, Estela.” Zahra looked up from her plate, a smirk of dark amusement on her thin face. “I never got around to telling you about the time Tayls legit made Lila break down crying, did I?”

“Zahra!” Quinn chastised worriedly. That Estela had made an appearance so early in the night meant a lot; she didn’t want her regretting it. “This is hard enough. Come on; _happy_ memories, please. At least for the first night.”

Estela just shrugged her shoulders. “You don’t need to wrap me up in cotton wool. I appreciate that you’re trying to look out for me, but I don’t need the kid gloves.”

“See!” Zahra exclaimed, triumphant. “She’s fine.” She took another gulp of her drink; Estela wasn’t sure what it was from the sight of it, but it was strong enough that she could smell the alcohol fumes from a good few feet away. “So, ‘Stel–”

“Don’t call me that.”

“So, Creepy-Ninja-Stalker-Bitch,” Zahra corrected herself. Apparently, _that _form of address was preferable, for there was no protest. “It was when we were going to the observatory; you know, when we were trying to contact the mainland.”

“Yeah, I know when you mean. I’m pretty sure I’d told you idiots to stay safe at the resort; next thing I know, I’ve got to save your sorry asses from some giant freaking crab.”

“Anyhow, Lila wanted to tag along; I dunno, keep up her devoted tour guide shtick she had going. I was saying to Taylor that we should ditch her… both because I trusted the bitch about as far as I could throw her, and also she just never stopped fucking smiling. I didn’t know how much longer I could look at that stupid face. But I’m not an asshole–”

There was a sudden spluttering of coughs and laughter, which brought a satisfied smirk to the storyteller’s face.

“– so I get_ Taylor_ to give the world’s happiest tour guide the nudge for me. She’s better at tact and all that shit. Or so I thought. My girl Tayls straight-up tells Lila that she’s not invited because she’s_ pretty sure _she’s two-faced. Ice cold. And that dumbass smile? _Whomp_\- gone. And the bitch just _sobs_. Absolutely freaking hilarious. And that’s when I knew that Taylor wasn’t half bad after all.”

Sean shook his head, incredulous. “Well, that was a heart-warming tale.”

“Uh, _yeah_!” Craig said loudly. “It’s a warm-fuzzy friendship story about becoming bros with Taylor. That’s what we came to the reunion for, right?”

“That and booze!” Raj offered.

With an approving roar, Craig raised his glass to chink with Raj. Dude knew where it was at.

Estela quietly shook her head, but couldn’t hide the smile that had crept onto her face. What to some might have looked like insensitivity on Zahra’s part, she actually appreciated. Her time with Taylor had been so cruelly short, she _wanted _to hear everything. Every minuscule detail meant the world when those stories were all that remained. True, bringing Lila up at a time when Estela’s emotions had been brought so close to the surface might have looked like a gamble, but Zahra was sharp enough to get a measure of what Estela needed. And that was to reminisce with friends without the goddamn looks of pity. That had Taylor felt something off about Lila? _Well-fucking-done. You read that psycho better than I ever did. _So long after the fact, Estela couldn’t help a swell of pride. Her Taylor’s instincts were on point.

Clearing his throat, Diego pulled out his phone. “Does everyone have a drink? I think it’s time for a toast.”

He pressed play on the recording. Taylor’s recording. Her goodbye.

  
  


* * *

Taylor blinked. The blinding light had left her, but she struggled to focus on her surroundings. More pressing was the earth beneath her body. She could feel it. Cold… rough… pebbles hard against her skin, grass scratching…. Sensations that had eluded her for some five years; simple touch. Her whole body was shaking.

_Is this real? Did Vaanu actually do it?_

She pushed herself up and looked down at a body that was unmistakably human. The same denim shorts and red singlet that she’d been born into. At her side in the dirt, her old backpack.

_Am I dreaming? No… no, this is different. This is real. _I’m _real._

What ‘real’ felt like was a distant memory to Taylor, whose existence had become an endless stream of visions and dreams. But this was solid. Her body was as she’d remembered it; for the first time in five years, she was _herself. _She shivered against a chill breeze. The surroundings were familiar but indistinct. A jungle, dark, foreboding… but that could be anywhere. Shit, for all she knew, she might have materialised on some random rainforest planet in the butt-crack of beyond. Her short life had taught Taylor to take nothing for granted.

Wobbling precariously, she tried and failed to stand.

_Okay, I guess that’s to be expected. It’s not as if you didn’t just fall from the stars. Easy, Tay._

She clumsily clambered forward, getting her balance with the help of a small tree. The shining glint of something colourful, glowing, caught her eye. As she pushed through the underbrush, the foliage parted to reveal the very thing she’d hoped she’d glimpsed. A sight that made her young heart race, her breath catch, her legs tremble. Radiating a pinkish glow that ought to have been impossible; a flower.

_La Huerta. Home._

* * *

“Happy Reunion, everyone. Here’s to five years!”

As Diego lifted his drink, Estela followed suit, joined by everyone else in unison. The worst was over now. She watched her friends around the bonfire, seeming to glow in the flickering light, their faces all smiles and laughter. It was the greatest comfort, and she treasured them.

“I think I’m done for the night,” she said wearily, stretching her arms out above her head and cracking out her fingers. “Try not to get too wasted; if anyone’s hungover tomorrow, I’m not carrying them to Elyys’tel… _Craig._”

“_Wha– me?!”_

Michelle laughed, light and breezy. She lived a fast-paced, often-stressful life, and she’d milk this vacation time for all it was worth. “Don’t worry, Estela, I’ll keep everyone in line.” As her friend walked past, she grasped her hand momentarily, a gesture of support. “Sleep tight.”

Trudging up the hill; the site of her first conversation with Taylor, Estela glanced over the gathering below and smiled softly. Year-by-year, perhaps this was getting easier. Or at least, she was getting used to the emotional roller-coaster– as much as could ever be expected. It had been a long time since she’d seen her friends; most she’d not been face to face with since the last reunion. This time was special, for all of the pain that came with it. She settled down upon the grass and curled up beneath the stars. Sleep came easily.

_Estela ran through the darkened forest, light on her feet, alert to every bird call, every crackle of leaves. She came to a halt abruptly, studying the ground, the leaf-litter. Tracks. Human. Well, human or Vaanti. Her brow furrowed. Her quarry was close. Each footstep was placed with care, ensuring minimal disturbance that might give away her presence. What was she chasing? Why? She didn’t know, but she knew that she _had _to. It was a deep certainty, like none she’d experienced in some five years. The tracks took her to a clearing, and she knew immediately where she was; this was the airstrip. Moonlight flooded in from above, a contrast to the eerily dim jungle from which she’d come. Something shifted behind her, and Estela turned, wary. A face there, eerily familiar… hidden in shadow. And a voice spoke. One that made every hair on her body stand on end._

“_Come find me.”_

She woke up, panting; clothes plastered to her body with cold sweat. A dream like a memory. It was almost as if…? _Taylor…?_

Her heart hammering wildly, Estela sat up, instinctively turning to look out over the beach road that she knew led to the place she’d just envisaged. The back of her neck prickled. Was she losing her mind? She hadn’t had a dream like that, so vivid,_ solid_ since…. But it was impossible! Something on this godforsaken island must be playing with her, mocking her. Unless…? She couldn’t believe it. She couldn’t dare. To believe it would be to let herself have her heart torn away all over again. But how the hell could she get back to sleep _now_?

Trying to get a hold of herself, she looked around, scanning the resort grounds. She must have been asleep for a little while, because the party had found its way indoors. No doubt, the usual suspects were still drinking and goofing off in one of the rooms, but everything seemed… quiet. What would she have said to anyone anyway? That she was dreaming about Taylor? The grief talking. All that reminiscing had simply come to bite her in the ass and haunt her. But it _wasn’t _a normal dream. And the only person who’d understand was…. A shiver went through Estela’s body. If there was a chance, even just the _tiniest _chance, she knew what she had to do. Whatever was going on, it was all to do with Taylor, and she couldn’t let it rest. And then a wave of calm. Of knowing. A long-missed fire burning within; a purpose. A flicker of hope that she simply couldn’t extinguish.

“_Come find me…”_

_Taylor, I’m coming._

* * *

Growing steadily stronger on her feet, Taylor moved through the thick foliage, trying to get her bearings. There was little to guide her, just the knowledge that sooner or later, the trees would thin and there’d be something, some clue as to where on the island she’d appeared. A clue as to whether there was another human soul to be found. To how much time had passed, _when _she was… this was La Huerta after all; she had to expect the unexpected. Her senses were sharp, in overdrive after lying dormant for so long, and the intense concentration tired her, made her head throb. But, oh, it was wonderful. The tree trunks rough against her palms, the ominous animal calls that rang through the jungle of the night, the humidity that easily rose a sweat upon her skin. Being _alive. _Human. Were she not feeling it all over, her senses singing with the joy of it, she wouldn’t have believed it possible. Every now and then, her breath would catch in her throat, emotion threatening to overwhelm her after so long with no way of crying the tears she owed her loved ones, but she bit back the urge to sob.

_Focus, Taylor. You’re on your way. Keep going. Go to them._

After an age, or at least what damn well felt like one, she came to a clearing and, relieved, slumped to the ground. _Finally._ The twinkling stars above, no longer shrouded by the thick canopy, drew her tired gaze. Quite literally, a sight for sore eyes. Taylor gave a short laugh. This world was every bit as beautiful as she’d remembered. As she took in her surroundings, it quickly became obvious where she was; just along the way was the aircraft hangar, rebuilt after that unfortunate blowing-up incident. She could have cried with relief; from here, she knew the way.

<strike> _–_ </strike> _SNAP–_

The sharp crack from the trees nearby had Taylor jump to her feet in an instant –and she was silently impressed with her newly restored reflexes. She was not alone.

Estela’s knees buckled, threatening to give way on her when she saw the hunched figure rear up in surprise, features suddenly revealed by moonlight. Either a miracle, or the cruellest of tricks. Her wife, her beautiful Taylor, stood there before her. How could it be true? It had to be a trap… it had to be…. But Taylor looked just as Estela remembered her. Pale skin pearlescent in the moon-glow, eyes bright and intelligent, looking upon the world with insatiable curiosity, and tucked behind her ear– of all things— the brilliant purple blossom she’d chosen to honour their handfasting.

Taylor peered into the undergrowth for a few moments, certain that someone –or some_thing– __was_ deliberately making their presence known to her, before venturing a cautious “_H-hello?” _Her voice shook with an obvious wobble, as though she was re-learning how to use it.

At that simple quiet call, a voice that rang through her consciousness like a sacred song, tears sprang to Estela’s eyes. _No. It’s not her; it can’t be! Whatever this is, it’s not to be trusted. Taylor is _gone! Perhaps a minute went by before Estela realised she’d been holding her breath…._Come find me…. _If this wasn’t Taylor; if this wasn’t real, how could she have dreamt up another memory? That was _theirs. _A secret bond all their own. Which meant that this… that she…

Taking that long-held breath, Estela stepped from the shadows, unblinking as she looked into the face of the woman she loved. Her ears were met by a sharp gasp; Taylor’s hands had flown to her mouth, her eyes shone, and her whole form seemed to sway, as if she might be knocked over by a breeze. Instinctively, Estela tried to move forward, ready to catch her wife should she fall, but her legs were leaden, shock rooting her to the spot.

_Estela…_

Was it a dream? Taylor was sure she’d had this one some thousand times. Could her Estela, her dearest, most wonderful Estela, be right there? As if she’d come to take her home at last. For several long moments, Taylor swayed on the spot, trying and failing to shift the blissful fog that had settled in her mind.

Slowly blinking herself to her senses, Taylor looked into the dark eyes, enraptured by the searching stare; questioning.. fearful maybe, but holding shining hope and infinite devotion. A face battle-worn and deeply scarred. Fierce… so very fierce, but all that fire was love. _Estela. _Not breaking the shared gaze for a moment, she strode forward, heart in her throat, until they were but a foot apart. Taylor could hear Estela’s breath growing heavier, _wilder _as she tried to process what was right there in front of her like some sort of taunting apparition. Her mouth dry, Taylor tried to speak, to reassure. _It’s really me, Estela… I’m home… _But all that came out was a wordless croak.

Time seemed to stand still as Estela reached out a trembling hand. She gave a quiet, shuddering gasp as her fingers brushed Taylor’s cheek, cold in the night air, but soft… so very soft, solid, and real, and… breathtaking.

Taylor closed her eyes, leaning into the gentle caress. That touch, a small miracle; it brought her to life, the warmth and tenderness bringing her back home, back into her humanity, at long last. She nuzzled against Estela’s hand, which was soon wet with her tears. Then there was a delicate trail of fingertips over her fluttering eyelashes, down to her mouth, lingering as if to feel for her breath, disbelieving. For long moments– minutes even?– she tried to speak, but she couldn’t quite force the words forth.

“It’s me,” Taylor managed to utter throatily at long last, opening her eyes to gaze into Estela’s; soulful, and swimming with tears. She reached up her hand, placing it over Estela’s and guiding it down to her chest, over her heartbeat, now pounding like a drum. “See. I’m real. I’m here.”

There was a strangled cry as Estela’s legs gave way and she fell forward, taking Taylor in her arms; grasping her body as if it were anchoring her to life itself. It wasn’t an illusion; she was real. _H__oly shit, _she was real. “Are you…?” she breathed, all the words she could force out while the sheer weight of her emotion crippled her body. She couldn’t speak, she couldn’t _think…_

“I’m home.” Taylor’s voice crackled; exhilaration, utter relief… and a desperate, hungry_need_ overwhelming her. “I’m… I’m home for good.” Taylor melted into the embrace, feeling it tighten around her, and snuggled her face into the crook of her wife’s neck, into her thick hair, letting her senses reignite, fill up and intoxicate her with everything Estela was. _I’ve got you, I’ve got you…_

Their entwined bodies shook with quiet sobs, and with each shudder they held on tighter, hands grasping, caressing, feeling, delving beneath clothes to seek the aching comfort of skin against skin. Then, trembling as she did so, Taylor took Estela’s face in her hands and closed her eyes as she leaned in to meet her in a tender kiss… delicate and slow; emotion poured into every slightest brush, press of their lips, and savoured, for it was everything. And Taylor knew she’d made it.

Tears… smiles… sobbing laughter, as they clutched at one another in ecstasy. Estela pressed her forehead against Taylor’s. She’d never let her go again. Never… never… “Oh my… _Taylor. _It’s okay, it…..I’ve got you now…”

“_I’m home…”_


	3. With My Heart

“_I’m home.”_

Miracles, in Estela’s experience, were blatantly out of line with a world that had shown itself to be cruel, unforgiving. She’d learned, step by step, to embrace the light, to see the good around her-- the good that made her fight worthwhile, always. In Estela’s experience, when someone she loved was taken from her, they were lost to her forever.

But the weight, warm against her body, told her otherwise. As did the fervent press of a tender mouth, hauntingly familiar against her own… that whispered voice… the laugh lighter than air that sang with relief. It was really Taylor. _Her _Taylor. Impossible, and yet, there she was.

Estela reluctantly broke the kiss, immediately missing the comfort of her partner’s breath against her face. It was but a moment before she craved that intimacy once more, as if she couldn’t bear to function if she couldn’t feel her partner there. What she needed, though, was to maybe begin to understand this… to make certain, to be completely, resolutely certain, that she could keep Taylor from ever, _ever _being ripped from her arms again. She studied her love’s tear-streaked face, almost afraid of what she might see there. Taylor looked the same. Same slightly untidy blonde hair. Same enticing twitch of her lips that signalled the workings of a sharp mind. Her eyes still sparkled like twinkling stars. What was new, though, was the crying desperation that shone there, as if she’d been starved of everything that fed her humanity. Estela’s lip trembled.

“I, I don’t understand…?” She said at last, her calloused fingers caressing Taylor’s face with a feather-light touch. “How are you…here...? _How?”_

Taylor exhaled heavily, closing her eyes and leaning into the feeling of Estela’s fingers as they stroked, as if trying to lovingly brush away her pain. _“_I had to come back,” she explained, shakily, “I wouldn’t have survived any other way. It was killing me.” She felt Estela wince, and her eyes opened to see that serious face become hardened with anger.

“Vaanu just, just _let you _suffer? It’s been five years! Have you been… all this time...?”

There it was. That rage against injustice; raw and powerful, and so very Estela. It stirred something deep within Taylor, a fierceness, a passion. And she hadn’t even known she’d been missing it. She swayed on the spot, knowing she was on the verge of falling to her knees. But there were those sweetly familiar arms around her, firm and yet so gentle, holding her steady, offering the strength to keep her standing. To have what she’d endured actually acknowledged? It was… it was staggering. Could Estela realise just how much it meant? To be cared for; to _really _be cared for...

When Taylor went to speak, she found herself crying instead, those torturous years of isolation catching up with her all at once. She wept into Estela’s chest and let herself be lowered gently to the ground to be rocked with loving arms around her. Supported, _soothed_, she broke through the invisible barrier, knowing that all that pain, all that loneliness… it was in the past, far away. And she had Estela, her greatest source of courage.

‘I’m sorry… this… this can’t be easy for you to talk about.” Estela kissed Taylor’s forehead, lingering and delicate, the tenderness a stark contrast to the anger that simmered beneath the surface. “You don’t have to...”

Her breath shuddering, Taylor shook her head. “I know. But I want to. I just wanna talk with you… I wanna just let it all come out. It’s been pent up so long...” She sniffled some more, and wiped away her tears with a shaking forearm. With a deep breath, she lay her head on Estela’s shoulder, letting herself soak up some of that unflinching bravery. “My consciousness was supposed to merge with Vaanu’s, but it didn’t work, not fully. My purpose was always to give you hope, to help you all on your way, to be your friend… and I guess… I guess Vaanu did too good a job in creating that ‘cause when I was so far away… I was sick. It wasn’t just Vaanu who gave me life, it was _you. _All of you. I mean- look at the Endless. Everything she did… god, how much she suffered for us… it was the way we were both created; we can’t be anything else.”

Estela turned and cupped Taylor’s face, bringing it to her lips, and kissing her brow, her cheeks, her mouth… savouring the very feel of her. “Everything you are is the people you love. You… you must have been so lonely. Oh, Taylor...”

Letting her tears be gently stroked and kissed away, Taylor closed her eyes, just appreciating the touch. _Lonely?_ Damn, it didn’t come close to doing it justice, but then, what word did? Her voice was weak when she finally spoke again. “So, Vaanu was free, but burdened by a part of themself that belonged to a different world. I could tell myself I’d survive; knowing you were out there, living your lives the way you were meant to… it was enough. For a long time, it was enough. But I was slowly dying, and Vaanu could feel it.”

“So they let you go?”

“I think Vaanu understood what it was to be ripped from their own heart. To have a piece missing. Vaanu is never gonna be whole now, but they made it home, and… they wanted to set me free too. I, I guess my energy was capable of remembering the trajectory taken, to bring me back to Earth, to La Huerta.”

Estela’s eyebrow furrowed as she continued to caress her wife’s face, still shining with tears, screwed-up and hurting. “And now? Away from Vaanu… you won’t… you won’t be sick?”

“Well, I’ll take all the recommended vaccinations, but who can say?” Taylor smirked, earning a light swipe of Estela’s hand over the top of her head. What she felt from her wife though was sheer relief that she wasn’t too pained to indulged in a light jibe. “I’m back with my heart. I’m whole. I can actually _feel _it… I can’t even explain, I just...”

“You just know.”

“I just… know.” Taylor was stroking Estela’s face, caught up in the feel of her, when a thought hit her as if like a bolt of lightning. What was _she _doing on La Huerta? “Wait… wait, I don’t understand… what are you doing here? You were supposed to go home-- you...”

Estela laughed. Yeah, they’d skimmed right past that bit of necessary exposition. “Don’t worry; you did it. Everyone’s okay… we all went home. We come back here, though. Once a year, a reunion.” The laugh died on her face. Why did she have to feel sad _now?_ Everything she’d longed for right there in her arms, and still she couldn’t quite shake the misery. “I never enjoyed them much,” she said shortly. That was where she’d leave it, and although the concern in her wife’s eyes was obvious, she didn’t let it sway her. The smile returned to her face. “What matters is that you saved us all, and that you’re back where you belong. From now on, we’ll have a _real _reunion. All of us.” _Just let me bask in feeling happy a little longer, okay?_

In honesty, Taylor felt relieved that she’d been granted these quiet, tender moments before the weight of the decision she’d made-- not just for herself, but for both of their futures-- could no longer be ignored. She didn’t know Estela as one quick to forgive those who’d knowingly partake in acts of cruelty, and yet Taylor silently chastised herself for seeing to expect anything less than forgiveness for the sacrifice that had been nothing short of brutal abandonment. Estela loved her, fully and completely. Taylor knew it. And oh, she loved her so in return.

For a long while, they sat together in a wordless embrace, the shock reality taking its time to sink in. Taylor couldn’t imagine needing more than just that silent presence all around her, making her feel alive in a way she barely thought possible. She’d seen Estela in her memories over and over again, letting the visions sustain her, but it had been but a dismal shadow of what had been. What she had now… and forever. Perhaps more than she deserved.

Estela adjusted herself so that she was face to face with Taylor, and pulled her perfect little piece of the stars, her beautiful alien, in so that she was half-sitting in her lap, their foreheads touching. She hummed with blessed, blessed contentment.

“I love you,” she whispered. Hell, it went without saying, but it was just too strong to leave unsaid. After all this time, she wanted to say it again, and again, and again, until her voice was worn to nothing. “I… I never stopped. Not for a single moment.”

The words stirred Taylor’s heart. _I love you, I love you, I love you. _She closed her eyes, while she struggled to speak through a most wonderful gush of emotion. “I know; always. I was always yours. I love you, too, my starlight. _My starlight_.”

Her mind a whirl, Estela fought to progress to something like usefulness. “Taylor, what do you need? Do you need rest? Food? Something to drink?” She frowned thoughtfully. This was an abnormal situation to say the least, and she’d been caught uncharacteristically ill-prepared. She took Taylor’s face in her hands and studied her intently. After being helpless for so long, Estela would go to the end of the earth to fulfil her wife’s need of her. “How can I help you, _mi alma? _Please, let me help.”

“...I..” What _did _Taylor need? Her senses were in overdrive; all excitement and so little perception of what her body was trying to tell her. What she craved was… _everything. _“I… need to feel.”

Estela decided she could forgive her lover for being unhelpfully vague-- she _had _after all, just descended from outer space and materialised in human form. To feel? Perhaps Taylor needed to be grounded somehow? “Okay…,” Estela ventured. “We could go to the beach? Maybe the water would be refreshing; help your senses settle? Is that what you mean?”

Taylor wasn’t certain, but knew that to bathe in the sea sounded mighty inviting. “Yeah… maybe. Sorry.” She winced. “Everything just feels so… so _weird. _But, yes. I’d like that. A lot.”

* * *

The cool water lapping at her toes made Taylor gasp. Her eyes closed, she let the sensation wash over her.

“Huh. I didn’t realise how much I’d missed little things like this. I was so caught up in...”..._in missing you._

The world she’d returned to was beautiful in its textures… like the soft sand that shifted beneath her unsteady feet. And in its taste of salt on her starved lips. In its myriad of sounds that spoke of life in all its glory. It was the tapestry in which she herself had always been meant to be woven, she knew that now. No shining crystal world could bring her alive in this way. Taylor experienced this world as a human being, overawed by the scope of all it had to offer as it welcomed her home. If she’d known, all those years ago, perhaps she’d have savoured these small things, those she’d not have bat an eyelid over. Hadn’t it been Estela who’d shared with her a sunset, appreciating how it could well have been her last? She should have learned then; soaked every sight and sound into her mind until it was full to bursting.

Estela reached for Taylor’s fingers, silky smooth and brand new. So soft within her tender grasp. “I try to appreciate those little things. So much of it would have been lost if not for you.”

Taylor’s eyes opened, meeting a warm and loving stare. She had to face it. The reality of what she’d done. A gift for the world, no doubt, but there was no escaping the fact that she’d inflicted upon the person she cared for more than any with yet another deep and painful scar. She’d broken her promise. How was it right that Estela regard her with such adoration, still?

“Taylor, it’s okay. You did what was right.”

“I know it was right, but… I hate it. I _hate _that I abandoned you.”

Estela squeezed Taylor’s fingers, hoping to offer some reassurance. “I won’t lie to you. It broke my heart. I…” It was difficult. To be truthful, whilst trying to let her wife know that it was _okay_, that she understood, and that she held not a shred of ill feeling toward her for the agonising decision she was forced into. “I survived. It’s what I do.”

“I’m sorry. I’m so, so _sorry_. We never even had a real chance to talk about it before… before…. It happened so fast, and you deserved so, _so _much more.”

“Shhh… _mi amor_. It’s done; we’re together now. And we have a home to go back to… and my _tio. _You saved him; for me. I… I can’t tell you what it means to me. You’re my hero, Taylor. My Taylor. Mine.”

_My Estela. _“Mine.”

A home to go back to. It was more than Taylor could have dreamed of, to be able to build a life, a human life, with the people she loved. Those memories she’d relied upon for so long would not be the extent of her world. New experiences, new places… how could it be possible? She felt a firm but gentle tug of her hand, leading her onward.

“Come. Swim with me.”

Estela’s eyes seemed to sparkle in the moonlight, or was it the effect of bittersweet tears? She pulled off her hoodie--- it hadn’t escaped Taylor’s notice that her wife was dressed just as she’d been when they met. The same as she’d seen in the vision Vaanu had offered them of a future Estela might lead. Taylor remembered how it had been to nuzzle her face into that hoodie, how the scent and feel of Estela would envelop her.

Without a word, Taylor reached for her own shirt, and gingerly removed it, tentatively exposing more of her body to the night air for the first time in too long. She steadied herself against Estela as she removed her shorts and tossed them to the sand. Goosebumps rose along her arms, her legs, over her torso as a tranquil breeze touched her hungry body. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up further as she raised her eyes to see Estela near-nude, undergarments clinging to a lithe and toned frame. Taylor was _definitely _feeling alive now. If that searing gaze was anything to go by, in that, she was not alone.

“See something you like?”

“Mmm.” Estela spoke quietly, conscious of her wife’s present state of hypersensitivity and taking care to ease her back to earth with just consideration. “Come here.”

The familiar chill of water slapping against new skin as it rose against her body with every step she took made Taylor giggle with shock.

“Was it always this _cold?_”

“Were you always such a wimp?”

“Hey! You’re not allowed to sass me! I’m the saviour of the world!”

“And modest, too.” Flicking her sodden hair over her shoulder, Estela reeled Taylor in until she was flush against her chest, already slick and slippery with seawater. “But are you okay?” she asked, her tone dropping, suddenly serious. “Is this helping?”

Taylor hesitated. It was difficult to think straight when her front was pressed into her lover’s warm skin, the rise and fall of their chests creating some wonderful shared rhythm that was off-kilter and raw. Tired and disoriented, she might as well be a doll in Estela’s toned arms, and yet she couldn’t feel less vulnerable.

“Yeah… I… I think it’s helping. I don’t feel so… so dazed.” The expression on Estela’s face told Taylor that she still _looked _pretty darn dazed, and she couldn’t hold back a laugh. “Maybe I’ll wake up in a few days and this won’t feel like a dream anymore.”

Apparently satisfied, Estela drew Taylor deeper, deeper, finally taking her in her arms as she lay back, surrendering herself to the swell and fall of gentle waves.

“Close your eyes, Taylor. I’ve got you.”

Taylor exhaled, her back relaxing into her beloved’s front as they floated together. If the feel of that firm stomach was anything to go by, Estela had not let physical training fall to the wayside just because Rourke had been presumably brought to justice. Perhaps not the softest, squashiest pillow on which to rest a weary body, but the fact that her senses were screaming ‘_it’s Estela!_’ meant that Taylor couldn’t want for anything else.

With long, slow strokes, Estela pushed their entwined bodies onward without a care as to where they drifted. She didn’t give a damn where she was, or what troubles might lie there; she was all but invincible with Taylor in her arms. Besides, La Huerta had long since been rendered a sea-monster-free zone. They were good. As they drifted lazily, Estela left soft kisses upon whatever parts of Taylor’s neck and cheek she could comfortably reach, and felt in return a meandering stroke of Taylor’s slender fingers across the arm that held her tight to her chest.

There was so much to say, and Estela had never found herself to be one with a gift for words. But she could feel Taylor blooming into life, invigorated in her arms… perhaps words could wait? Would she just spoil all this, something almost frighteningly close to a perfect moment in time after years of barely suppressed agony? Unwilling to break the spell, Estela decided to embrace their perfect moment and let the talking, recounting memories that held such pain, keep.

“The stars look different from here,” Taylor said quietly when her eyes opened at last. It was a shame to tear her senses from Estela in any way, but this dazzling world wouldn’t let her be. “It was hard to see them. Back… there. It was always so bright and glowy with all the crystals… I guess the light pollution ruined the view. But now and then I’d see something like a picture on the sky-- I thought of you. I mean, I _always _thought of you… but the stars made it feel like we weren’t so far apart. I liked the illusion.”

Estela kissed her some more, again and again, harder, _fiercer _until they were both squirming and flailing with giggles, water splashing up wildly.

“So, you missed me, huh?” Taylor quirked an eyebrow as they finally separated, treading water while they both caught their breath.

Such a question deserved nothing more than an eye-roll, and that was all it received. With a smirk, Estela dipped beneath the waves and swam around her lover with effortless grace, seeking to draw her in, and knowing that the temptation would be irresistible.

Like a moth to a flame, Taylor sought her Estela, visible as only shadows in the moonlight where her thick hair danced just below the surface. She let herself be drawn deeper, and all was darkness. Not a cold darkness that spoke of isolation-- perhaps now what Taylor feared more than anything-- but a bringer of the illusion that her partner was all around her and everywhere, moving unseen and felt in ripples against her body. Then Taylor was swept up, strong thighs taking her by the waist, arms around her neck, and a blazing kiss-- slow, careful at first, lest her lungs fill with water, but then passion rose up unfettered. She lost herself in that kiss, in the feel of her body being enveloped, until her lungs cried for air. The slightest ebb in her intensity was enough to signal Estela to take her back to the surface, and they breached together, still entwined.

Their bodies turned languidly in the gently rising and falling water, until Estela rolled into a comfortable position from which she could hug Taylor to her chest, and still swim in a reasonably effective manner.

Taylor nuzzled against a wet shoulder, tasting salt as she clumsily laid kisses in her wake. “_Estela_…”

“Taylor...” There was a break in Estela’s stroke as she returned the kiss. _God_, she could kiss Taylor forever. No one would miss her too much if she just stayed there and kissed Taylor until they both shrivelled up and died, right? “How are you feeling, _novia?”_

The feeling was everything all at once. Taylor was tired and yet exhilarated, haunted and yet hopeful, buoyant as she floated there in her love’s arms and yet weighed down by the trauma of long and lonely years that had forever scarred her soul. The complex feeling of simply being human.

“I feel like I’ve come alive. Like I’m me. Me.” Taylor’s voice rang with defiance.

“Good,” Estela declared. “You’re not Vaanu’s. Not anymore. Not ever again.”

“No. My heart is _mine. _And it’s yours.”

They stumbled onto the shore, a tangled mess of hands and arms grasping, feeling, knowing that for all their efforts they could never make up for the time lost, the heartache endured. Kisses rained down between them thick and fast; vain attempts to quench the yearning only serving to heighten their need for one another. Then, as Taylor sank down into the soft sand, pulling Estela onto her, the dance slowed, the press of lips becoming more laboured as if each slightest touch were its own cause of revelry, to be savoured and celebrated.

Taylor shook from head to toe as she dragged Estela’s swimsuit over a wet and sandy frame. She needed to touch, to feel, to have her soulmate flush against her… no fucking galaxies between them-- not even the tiniest shred of clothing. She needed to feel her. Estela… _Estela..._

Uttering a wordless moan as their bare chests met, Taylor’s perfectly smooth hands massaging her back, Estela closed her eyes and shuddered. “Oh, _mi amor…_ you’re shaking. Are you…? Are you…?”

“Shhhh… I’m o-okay. I need you. I n-need you. _Estela...”_

“_Oh, cari__ń__a, te tengo. Te amo… te amo...”_

* * *

The tide crept up the beach, leading the lovers, resplendent in their afterglow, to drag themselves higher onto the sand until they were in the secluded shelter of green cover where beach met with jungle. Estela had collapsed onto Taylor’s chest, delighting in the simple feel of it rising and falling beneath her. With each inhale, each exhale, it was drummed home that the woman she loved was there… a beautiful impossibility. She didn’t dare look away, nor let herself not be touching Taylor for even a second. Quietly, she just lay there, listening to Taylor’s voice as it washed over her like the sweetest song, and loving her so.

“I can’t believe it’s been five years,” Taylor was saying as she caught sight of the rebuilt resort through the foliage. It_looked_ like years’ worth of change. So much must have happened in that time. Taylor supposed she’d catch up with major events soon enough, but more than anything, she had to know what those years had meant for Estela. When she’d seen her last, Estela had been devastated by the revelation that the man she’d hunted down all those years, the monster who’d taken her mother… was the very man who’d brought her into being. ‘Father’ was not the right word, but the fact remained that Rourke was a part of Estela, inescapable. What had become of him? For all of Taylor’s curiosity, borne out of searing protectiveness towards her wife, she didn’t want to broach the subject. They were so comfortable, so _happy. _That demon would not, _could not _be allowed to sour a night that was hers and Estela’s alone.

Or so Taylor would have had it.

“I got what I came here for,” Estela said simply, an amused smile on her face. Her wife was all too easy to read, even as she tried to disguise her concerned desire for answers.

Taylor startled. _Can she read minds now? That’s just unfair. __I guess we’re going there, aren’t we?_“You got the justice you needed?” A nod was all the response she received. “Seeing as you’re not locked up in a high security prison right now, I’m guessing...”

Estela laughed, shaking her head. “No, I didn’t cave the murdering bastard’s skull in. I can’t say the thought wasn’t tempting, but I couldn’t shake this annoying voice in my head. It kept telling me that my life was worth more than that, worth more than _him. _It’s not easy to argue with a voice when the person talking to you is literally worlds away.” She looked up, pointedly meeting her wife’s eye. “I never got a chance to really thank you.”

The warmth in that gaze went straight to Taylor’s heart. What could she even say to that? In the end, all she could manage was a mumbled “I love you”.

“And I love you. This is gonna sound weird, but even when I’ve been lost, and I’ve been lost so many times since you left… I’ve loved myself more since I’ve loved you.”

Taylor snuggled down so that she and Estela were lying face to face, but an inch or two apart. She understood; shaped and endlessly inspired as she was by her own soulmate. Estela had forever touched every part of her, including how she viewed herself. They’d grown together, and even apart, the strength garnered from the love of the other made a harsh world more beautiful.

“That doesn’t sound weird to me. Not at all. I feel the same.”

“You’ve always had your way of understanding me. Maybe you need to write an instruction manual… keep Tio from pulling his hair out.”

They both erupted into giggles, the delirious kind that tended to accompany complete exhaustion.

“Oh my god, it’s_ insane_ how long it’s been since I’ve even laughed!” Taylor exclaimed as she wiped away tears of mirth. “I am _so _ready to just be able to goof off with my friends. I can’t wait to see the looks on all their faces when I stroll up for breakfast!”

“I think the screams will be heard all the way on the mainland,” Estela said with a smirk. “They love you, Taylor. And they’ve all missed you, so much. It always felt like we were incomplete… coming back here, knowing you were a million miles away, if you were even out there at all.”

Taylor sighed heavily, and wistfully studied Estela’s weary face. This time, just the two of them, was precious. Utterly so. She knew she’d needed it; the chance to come back into herself after what had been a whiplash-inducing transition. Rekindling their bond had felt so effortless, but that couldn’t take away from the weight of all it meant. Simultaneously, it felt as though she’d never been away from her, and as though she’d been starved of the insurmountable joy of just being able to look into that intelligent, soulful, _beautiful _face. Of course, she was on the verge of losing her mind with the excitement of reuniting with the rest of her friends in the day to come, but she would not give up a_ second_ of this for anything.

“Everyone will have their stories to tell you,” Estela continued. “They’re all going places. Because of you. I hope you’re ready to be hugged to within an inch of your life.”

“Mmmm… maybe I’ll need to rest up.” Taylor yawned. _Definitely _she’d need to rest up.

Estela’s eyes glazed over a little as she gazed past her wife to the resort beyond. “Everyone’s had their paths to follow… dreams to chase. But what mattered most to me was making sure my mother was remembered for the hero she was.” She winced. “It was actually kinda nice to have something to focus my energy into. It stopped me from losing my mind missing you. I guess it was twofold. But anyway, it paid off. Her bravery won’t be forgotten now. Aleister and Grace built The New Celestial in her name. There’s not a trace of Rourke here anywhere, not anymore. Mom will be inspiring people who come here long after he’s rotted to nothing in some prison. I guess, for me, that’s the most I can hope for.”

Taylor couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sadness, echoing the melancholy that lingered in her love’s eyes. It was a victory, but what was lost remained lost. That emptiness could never truly be filled.

“Don’t look so sad... I told you; I’m surviving.”

_That’s not enough, _Taylor thought. It was her fault. Estela had no chance to process her existing grief before Taylor had smacked her with another helping. Estela had forgiven her, but to forgive herself, Taylor would need time.

“You’ve been so strong,” she said quietly. To herself she kept the apology that Estela would not wish her to speak. _I’m sorry you had to be strong without me. _Instead, she asked, “Where’s life taken you? Are you back with your _tio _in San Trobida now?

“I’m home. I know he worries about me, watching me stumbling along, trying to find my path forward.” Estela paused for a moment, knowing that what she had to say next spoke not only of her own future, but Taylor’s. A future they’d never had a chance to even begin to map out together. “I had been going back and forth in my head for so long… the only dream that I ever had for my future-- before well, _everything_\-- was to raise a family of my own. I thought of the vision Vaanu showed me, and I got it in my head that it was some sort of proof that you’d come back. Because in that vision, I was thinking of starting that family. I… couldn’t imagine that I’d do that without you.”

“’Stel...”

“It’s okay. I mean, it’s been horrible, but I wouldn’t let myself give up. Not after everything you gave me. God, I owed you that much.”

“Darling, you never owed me a thing. Not ever.”

“And I knew that’s what you’d say. It’s just how I feel. Whatever I did with my life, it had to honour you, my mom… I wouldn’t even have a chance of a future if you both hadn’t given so much for me. So, in the end, I… I decided to go ahead. Start thinking about…_seriously_ thinking about having a baby.”

“You’re not--?” But Taylor’s question was cut off by a loud splutter of laughter.

“Oh, Taylor, _no! _Not yet.” Estela found herself flushing, “I actually talked to Diego about it yesterday. He’s going to give it some thought-- I practically had to nail his feet to the ground and make him actually _think _about what he was agreeing to-- but I told him I’d like him to be the donor.” She looked up at Taylor, apologetic, feeling like a damn traitor for even having discussed the matter without her. It was irrational, and she knew it, but that didn’t mean it was an easy thing to shake. “But I don’t want you to feel like there’s any pressure-- there’s _not_\-- I… we never had a chance for you and me to even _talk _about...”

“Well, now we have all the time in the world. That family you just described? You, me, and a funky little Diego-spawn? I couldn’t dream up anything more beautiful, more perfect. That’s it-- we’re having a baby! God, now I’m crying again!”

Estela couldn’t hold back an affectionate giggle. No wonder Taylor got on so well with Diego; perhaps it was from him that she got that reckless heart-driven impulsiveness. “You’re not allowed to just commit to having a baby just like _that. _You _literally _just fell from space. We’ll talk about it. Do things right; right for all of us, whatever that means.”

Taylor cuddled in close, messily wiping her tears against her love’s shoulder. Perhaps Estela had a fair point. But after so, so long alone, desperate to feel love around her, the promise of a blossoming family lit something up in her like magic. “All right, maybe I’m a little over-excited. I just… I never thought I’d ever feel anything like this again. All that time, my future was just cold, lonely… I couldn’t even touch another human being, let alone…. I missed being loved. Having someone to love. I just want it _so hard._”

“You’ll never need to want for it again. Never. I guess everything in you is just screaming for you to hang on for dear life right now?”

“Ha. Pretty much.”

“Wherever we’re going now, we’re going together. And when the time is right, when we’ve actually had a chance to _talk _about how it’ll work, we’ll make ‘us’ a little bigger.” Estela gave her head a gentle shake, then kissed Taylor’s temple, which was slightly gritty with sand. “I just still can’t believe I’ve got you back...”

“I can’t believe I _am _back. I’d come to terms with the fact I was dying out there, and suddenly… I’ve got more of a life in front of me than should be possible.”

However much she promised Taylor a forever, Estela wasn’t quite sure she could trust in it herself. What was to say this wasn’t just another cruel trick La Huerta was playing on her mind? Just another dream that felt like something she was actually living through? For all she knew, she might wake up on that hill with nothing but cold empty earth beside her and Taylor a prisoner of the stars once more. It was… it was unbearable.

“’Stel, you look exhausted. Close your eyes… I’ll be right here.” Taylor’s voice cracked. She was tired too. Well, that was putting it mildly. The high was unsustainable, and her overwhelmed body had just about reached its limit. She was crashing. “I can’t even tell you how much I’ve wanted to sleep with you holding me, to feel like I’m home, where I belong.”

Estela stared out at the waves breaking in the foreshore, giving no indication what she’d heard her wife’s words as she contemplated them in silence.

“This… isn’t a dream I want to have to wake up from. If I fall asleep, it might all be over. I can’t lose you again, Taylor.”

“You won’t.” Taylor put her hand to Estela’s cheek, feeling the raised line of the long facial scar beneath her fingertips. So unmistakably Estela. She looked into those deep, dark eyes and saw a frightened plea. This time, she’d not leave her. “I promise, you’re gonna wake up in my arms. Tomorrow, and every morning after.”

Estela melted into the embrace, resting her forehead against Taylor’s. It should have been too good to be true, but she trusted her. She trusted Taylor far more than she’d ever trusted anyone. To fall asleep knowing nothing but her lover all around her; she’d craved it so. And Taylor held onto her as if she could never get enough, as if she was afraid to believe it herself. Estela brought her fingers to her partner’s face, and slowly, gently, she tipped it until their lips met in a tender and lingering kiss.

“_I love you, Taylor..._” she whispered, the hushed reverence almost an uttering of prayer. “_I love you…. __Stay._”

“._..__I promise..._”

* * *

Taylor’s eyes slowly flickered open, adjusting to the light of day. The sun on her face, for the first time in some five years, glorious. But it wasn’t what stirred her overactive senses the most, what warmed her to her very core. There, lying so that their faces were mere inches apart, Estela. Watching her, eyes soft and shining with devotion, looking upon her as if their shared presence was a great wonder, a miracle.

“Hey… you’re still here...”

“Good morning, stranger.” Blinking in the early-morning sunlight, Taylor smiled a radiant smile. To wake up beside her wife made it all so real. She’d really made it. “Didn’t I tell you it wasn’t a dream?”

“Dreams? Reality? With you, I never can tell.”

Taylor chuckled. “You’ve got me there. How about, from now on, I try to keep the crazy to a minimum? Normal sounds pretty nice right now.”

A loving smile warming her features, Estela reached to cup her wife’s face. “I think I’m ready for a quiet life. If you’ll come with me?”

“Estela, there is not a force in this universe that could keep me from you now.”

“Good. Because I’m not letting you go.” Estela wriggled even closer and captured Taylor’s sand-dusted lips in a kiss. The elation of waking to her soulmate was beyond compare; fear had fallen away in the wake of sweet certainty. Her heartache was in the past. The future was Taylor… family… peace. “Love you.”

“Love you.”

Taylor sat up, and wiped the sleep from her eyes. The morning was dazzling, simply _dazzling. _It was as if the sun had risen on a whole new life for her, and she was going to grab hold with both hands and embrace it for ever. She looked over her lovely Estela, serene in her repose, a helpless smile across her usually serious face. Was it even possible to be happier than this? Taylor could just sing with elation, if she didn’t have an urgent matter to attend to. She had a reunion to crash. There was the weight of a hand, rough-skinned, firm, gentle, against her back.

“Are you ready?” Estela asked.

“As I’ll ever be. The jitters were wild, but to Taylor, fresh from years of miserable monotony, the nervous excitement was nothing short of marvellous. “Do you think they’ll be up yet?”

The two of them dressed, and Taylor reached for Estela’s phone to make contact. She could feel her heart hammering against her throat as she typed out a message to a dear old friend.

‘_Come and meet me on the beach. It’s important.’_

Taylor bit her lip, realising she was on the verge of tears. “Everyone had a late night, yeah? As if he’ll even be awake...”

Then the phone buzzed, making Taylor freeze on the spot. It was happening…

“See, Taylor; he’s worried about me. There was no way he wouldn’t reply.”

“I can’t even look at it… I think I’ll burst into tears.”

Estela sighed exaggeratedly. “As if you’ll be the only one. You should have told Diego to bring tissues.”

Her hand shaking, Taylor looked down and read aloud. _‘Why do I get the feeling I’m being lured to my death?’_

She snorted. “God, ‘Stel, is everyone _still _a tiny bit scared of you?”

“Anyone with two brain cells to rub together is, yes.” Estela shrugged. “Basic common sense at this point. Is he coming?”

“Uh, I _think _so? Hang on...”

Taylor hastily typed another message… and had to re-write it when her excitement-induced fat thumbs rendered the first attempt illegible. _‘Just come down here, okay? And bring tissues. x’_

“Done!”

“Taylor, I don’t send kisses when I text. Not to Diego.”

“Now you do.” With a giggle, Taylor leaned over to pepper kisses all over Estela’s face. Somehow, the action worked wonders to settle her nerves.

When the lone figure strode onto the beach, however, any thought Taylor might have had of composure was lost to the wind. She doubled over, and cried.

Estela held onto her wife, helping her up, and pressing a heartfelt kiss to her temple. “It’s okay, _mi amor. _You’re coming home.”

A strangled cry reached Taylor’s ears and she sobbed harder. Her Diego, her sweet friend… he looked just as that hopeful vision had shown her; tidy and bespectacled, and still with that irrepressible gleam in his eye. She tried to gasp out his name and failed, so she simply ran forward. Not caring that in her emotional daze she was staggering like a drunk, she just ran. With each footfall, she was stronger, more purposeful, driven by the look of sheer joy on her beloved friend’s face.

With an ecstatic squeal, she launched herself into his waiting arms, her legs wrapping around his thin frame, almost sending him tumbling onto the sand. 

“_Ohmygod, Diego!_”

“Taylor? _Holy sh--- Taylor!_”

They swayed together in a tight embrace.

“Am I dreaming? Or am I really, _really _hungover?”

Taylor laughed through her tears, delirious. “I’m here, you beautiful goofball. I’m here, I-I came home.”

“W-why do I feel like I’m living the end of _Homeward Bound_?” Diego spluttered into his friend’s shoulder, the tears showing no sign of slowing. “I can’t believe… I can’t believe…. I m-missed you so much.”

A shout rang through the air.

“_Petey! _Breakfast’s up! You’ll wanna brace yourself; after last night, this ain’t gonna be pretty. You’ve seen Julio Child’s hangover cure.”

A slightly worse-for-wear Jake stumbled towards the seafront, then stopped dead in his tracks, jaw hanging. “What in the name of...”

Grace and Aleister, who’d wandered onto the sand for an early-morning walk, were next on the scene, with Grace coming close to falling over in shock at the sight before them. With an almost alarmingly un-Grace-like shriek, she charged forward, yanking Aleister along after her.

“I don’t believe it… _Taylor!”_

Having rubbed his eyes for several long moments and deciding that he really was _not _seeing things, Jake turned on his heels and called out frantically to the group as they poured out of the hotel for breakfast. “Hey, guys-- ya _really _gonna want to check out what washed up on the beach overnight!”

Then came the yelling. Joyful and unrestrained. Swelling with fast-accelerating momentum, as if the cries themselves were an avalanche, wild and unstoppable. The hollers were joined by the pounding of feet upon the sand, a frantic rush fuelled by sweet disbelief and the sight of one last piece of magic that La Huerta had to offer its legendary Catalysts.

Taylor wobbled precariously on her feet as the voices called to her as if in answer to a desperate prayer she’d shouted out from the heavens every day for those five years. Then she was held up; Diego, Estela, Grace, Aleister… all around her, bracing her for the tidal wave about to hit. She let it overwhelm her. Welcoming arms took her in from all sides, and Taylor knew she was to be carried home at last, so far from the crystal-encrusted prison she’d fled. The Endless had been right all along; those twelve people… they were what made her whole. They were what made her _human. _She’d never been anything else.

  
  


* * *

_Several months later_

On the floor of the front room of her childhood San Trobida home, Estela unpacked a brand new desktop computer from its box, alongside her beloved _tio_, who remained sceptical. Of course, he was. But by now, Nicolas Montoya knew better than to waste energy trying to bend the stubborn will of his niece.

“You never give up. Just like your mother. I should call you Livita.”

Estela handed him a bundle of packing material, an eyebrow raised. For all his intentions of appearing hard as a stone, her _tio’_s sentimental side seemed to be leaking forth more and more. “I’m not a little girl anymore, Tio.”

“No, you’re not. She’d be very proud to see you now. All grown up and on your way to great things. You should be somewhere exciting and full of promising young people. New York… London...”

“I like it here.”

“San Trobida is your past, Estelita.”

“It’s my home. We fought for this place, remember?”

“I will never forget. But we’re free of Salazar’s corruption now. And we’ve sent a signal that fascism will not be tolerated here ever again.”

Estela’s eyes shone with pride. She could be on her way to great things… here. Where she belonged. “Yes. And now it’s time to take care of ourselves. Time to rebuild and plan for the future.”

“Are you… thinking of starting a family?”

“Maybe I am.”

“Ha! Didn’t think I’d see the day. Perhaps I’ll even be a _tio abuelo…_ Ah… how the time escapes me.” Suddenly overcome with emotion, he sniffed back tears.

Tactfully, Estela carried on fiddling with the computer tower without mentioning how her _tio _appeared to be going soft with age. She plugged it in, and placed the manual in his hands. It had been for some time that she’d been planning this purchase; it had been… complicated. Now, it was like _deja vu _of the strangest kind. A scene she’d almost stopped believing she’d see play out. But there it was before her.

“Okay, you got it from here? Give me a call I you need any help.”

Nicolas bristled, indignant. “Help? Hmph, I’ll be fine.” But then, as Estela turned to move towards the doorway… “Uh… where do I insert the paper?”

“Oh, Tio.”

The front door creaked, and Taylor emerged through it, a smaller box in her arms. “Hey there, beautiful. Long time, no see.”

Estela ran to sweep her wife up in her arms. After what she’d been through, to be greeted by that smiling face was something she could never take for granted. She rolled her eyes. Between her uncle and her wife, she seemed to be doing a lot of that. And she wouldn’t trade either of them for anything. “Has it even been an hour?” Quite long enough, to be perfectly honest.

Taylor pecked a kiss to Estela’s full lips.

“Uh, maybe?” She giggled. “How’s ‘Operation Bring Tio into the 21st Century’ going? I got hold of a printer.”

“Right on time,” Estela said with a grin. “The target has been cooperating so far. I’m anticipating a few technical difficulties, but nothing we can’t iron out. Thankfully, we make a good team.”

Irritably shaking his head, Nicolas waved his hands in a shooing motion.“Go on! Go run off and enjoy your canoodling! I have an instruction manual, don’t I?”

Leaving the old man to fumble through the setting up of his very first computer, Estela and Taylor strolled hand-in-hand along the beach beyond their modest San Trobida home. This little corner of the world didn’t look like much, but it was theirs. Opportunities abounded to build something better than the pain and destruction that had come before; together they’d take on every challenge, and together they’d shine.

“Did you tell him we’ve started trying?”

“Not yet. If I dropped that bomb, he’d never get the damned computer up and running.” Estela’s fingers squeezed tighter around Taylor’s hand, and she met her eye with an affectionate gaze. San Trobida had always been beautiful, even in its hard edges, but to have Taylor there made it different. Estela felt it so strongly that it was as though her heart might burst through her chest. Finally, her fight was over. She’d found her way forward.

The sky slowly darkened, painted with the colours of sunset. Colours Taylor had missed, and would always take the time to drink in. One never knew when a sunset might be one’s last. A twinkling of the first stars took her back, further away than she’d dare fathom. Somewhere out there, Vaanu was living on, scarred forever by the wound left behind; a sacrifice for a sacrifice.

“The stars are coming out...” she whispered.

Estela stared upwards wistfully. So many times she’d looked out there, searching for something she’d never find. Her mouth quirked into a smile. “I see that hero again. My hero from the stars. She travelled a long and lonely path to save her friends… her family. But her light could not shine as bright as it should, so far from the love that had brought her to life.”

“So, she came home?”

“Yes. She came home. Her warrior queen had been waiting. The warrior was battered, and tired, but she would wait for ever for the woman she loved. She took the hero from the stars in her arms… and they were happy from then on. Together.”

Taylor’s breath caught in her throat, words echoing in her memory, revisited so many times before. She brought her forehead to Estela’s and closed her eyes, breathing her in, offering the entirety of herself in return. The contented hum that reached her ears brought a soft smile to her face.

“So they were.”


End file.
